I'm an atheist myself, but these comments are getting a little too personal. I don't think any of us have a right to belittle people for just believing in something. So let's leave all that out and just discuss what's in the video.

That being said, I respect the Muslim dude for just continuing to go about his prayers, in spite of what the fools around him are doing.

Yeah religion is worthless yet, there are studies that show a correlation between religion and happiness. The homeless who are being fed by religious groups in soup kitchens probably also believe religion is worthless. The poor souls in Japan who lost their homes and family and have nowhere to turn probably believe religion is worthless. The kid being passed from foster home to foster home with no guarantee he will ever have a permanent roof over his head probably thinks religion is worthless.

Worth is a relative term. What is worthless to you, may have great worth to someone else. Look at the Danny Woodhead. The Jets did not think he was worth a roster spot, yet the Patriots thought he was worthy enough to start. Look at Oliver Perez. Omar Minaya thought he was worth $36 million. When determining something's worth, it is important to remember you may be wrong in your judgment.

Instead of saying, "Religion is worthless," how bout next time you say something like, "I believe religion has long been used as excuse and a crutch for people to act out and say or do things they wouldn't normally say or do. I believe religion in its purest form teaches love and tolerance, but those messages can be skewed or doctored to further an unrelated agenda." Throwaway one liners with no explanation on a topic as global and beautiful as religion do little to encourage discourse or convince others that what you say is a valid observation.

And to deem it worthless after this video makes me shake my head even more. The video shows a man being ridiculed and disrespected in disgusting fashion, yet the man manages to keep his calm and devote himself to his God. He is able to rise above the obvious worldly challenges that face him all in the name of prayer. He does not yell back at the other man. He does not punch him. He does not flip him the bird. All he does is pray. It was an act of glorious restraint and discipline.

Just be careful when determining worth. You may cut Danny Woodhead or you may pay Oliver Perez $36 million.

And Tom, instead of this being the saddest thing you have ever seen, couldn't it also be a heroic act of sorts by the Muslim man? Half full or half empty?

And Tom, instead of this being the saddest thing you have ever seen, couldn't it also be a heroic act of sorts by the Muslim man? Half full or half empty?

I took the title to mean that it's sad that a person who is apparently peacefully practicing his religion and not bothering anybody is being persecuted by others that seem to be acting in the name of their religion.

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dalek wrote:

SlobX wrote:

Religion is worthless.

johnnypark wrote:

Unless, of course, you're into war, suffering, and the supernatural.

I'm an atheist myself, but these comments are getting a little too personal. I don't think any of us have a right to belittle people for just believing in something. So let's leave all that out and just discuss what's in the video.

That being said, I respect the Muslim dude for just continuing to go about his prayers, in spite of what the fools around him are doing.

Personal? I didn't think I could get any less personal than that statement. Also, religion isn't a person, it's belief. Some beliefs deserve belittlement. Religion is no different.

Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2007 2:56 pmPosts: 1209Location: because the city is New Yawk

MikeH wrote:

SlobX wrote:

Religion is worthless.

Yeah religion is worthless yet, there are studies that show a correlation between religion and happiness. The homeless who are being fed by religious groups in soup kitchens probably also believe religion is worthless. The poor souls in Japan who lost their homes and family and have nowhere to turn probably believe religion is worthless. The kid being passed from foster home to foster home with no guarantee he will ever have a permanent roof over his head probably thinks religion is worthless.

Worth is a relative term. What is worthless to you, may have great worth to someone else. Look at the Danny Woodhead. The Jets did not think he was worth a roster spot, yet the Patriots thought he was worthy enough to start. Look at Oliver Perez. Omar Minaya thought he was worth $36 million. When determining something's worth, it is important to remember you may be wrong in your judgment.

Instead of saying, "Religion is worthless," how bout next time you say something like, "I believe religion has long been used as excuse and a crutch for people to act out and say or do things they wouldn't normally say or do. I believe religion in its purest form teaches love and tolerance, but those messages can be skewed or doctored to further an unrelated agenda." Throwaway one liners with no explanation on a topic as global and beautiful as religion do little to encourage discourse or convince others that what you say is a valid observation.

And to deem it worthless after this video makes me shake my head even more. The video shows a man being ridiculed and disrespected in disgusting fashion, yet the man manages to keep his calm and devote himself to his God. He is able to rise above the obvious worldly challenges that face him all in the name of prayer. He does not yell back at the other man. He does not punch him. He does not flip him the bird. All he does is pray. It was an act of glorious restraint and discipline.

Just be careful when determining worth. You may cut Danny Woodhead or you may pay Oliver Perez $36 million.

And Tom, instead of this being the saddest thing you have ever seen, couldn't it also be a heroic act of sorts by the Muslim man? Half full or half empty?

Are we supposed to believe things because it makes us happy? Also, Japan is actually one of the least religious places on the planet so I don't really understand where you're going with that example.

I wouldn't say "I believe religion has long been used as excuse and a crutch for people to act out and say or do things they wouldn't normally say or do. I believe religion in its purest form teaches love and tolerance, but those messages can be skewed or doctored to further an unrelated agenda." because I don't believe that. In fact, I believe the exact opposite of that. I believe that Stephen Weinberg had it right. "With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil---that takes religion."

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